Does your business slow down in the summer? Every business has its busy seasons and slow seasons, and for many small businesses the summer is a time when business is down. It may be because decision makers are on vacation or the heat just has everyone moving more slowly than usual. Or it may be because you expect business to be slower in the summer and don’t pursue new clients the way you do at other times of the year.

Whatever the reason, you can make more money this summer by creating a summer marketing plan. Think about what your customers need this summer (No, probably not a pitcher of margaritas–unless your business is a bar!) and offer it to them. Here are some ideas.

• What are your customers worried about this summer? Are they concerned about the safety of their home while they’re away on vacation, or the cost of air conditioning while they are home? Do they need a way to keep their kids busy and out of trouble while they are at work? If your clients are businesses, what are their summer problems? For many, it is getting work done while employees are on vacation. List every worry or problem your customers are facing and how you can help them with it.

• What are your customers doing this summer? How can you help them to do what they need to do and reach their goals?

• What would they rather be doing? What do your customers really want to be doing, but can’t (but possibly could with the help of your product or services)?

• Who isn’t using your services, but should be? For example, if you are a virtual assistant, you may provide assistance and backup to clients when they are away. Are there solo-preneurs who believe they are unable to take a vacation because they need to be there to run the business? Show them how you can help them and you have a new client.

• How can you remove the obstacles to working with you? Are you waiting for an approval that never seems to come because the decision makers have gone on vacation one after another, and they can’t get together to say yes? Could you propose an interim service that could be approved by the people who are in the office now? Can you make an irresistible offer to new clients to get them to start buying from you?

• Could you come up with an excuse for a sale? Maybe a “Send My Kids to Camp” sale where you offer special pricing on a group of products or services to get your kids out of your hair for a week or two. ;o) Or whatever reason you might have for offering a special.

Coming up with a summer marketing plan doesn’t require any magic or genius skills, but it does require some thought. Spend a little time considering how you can help your customers, and attract new customers, this summer and you will have business that will be profitable through the summer and beyond.

Looking for a fun way to generate some business this summer? Holidays and observances are a great way to tap into what is on your customers’ minds or just have an excuse for an event or promotion. Some holidays are well-known and widely observed while others are a bit more…quirky. Either way, they can provide great ideas for blog posts, product sales, customer events and more.

You don’t have to rely only on holidays in your own country. Why not recognize an international holiday or a day celebrated in a far-away country?

Here is a list of some of the holidays and observances that are in the summer months. While some of these may have already passed for this year, print this post out or bookmark it, so you can reference it and plan ahead for next year.

July Holidays

1st – Canada Day
4th – Independence Day (United States)

Observances:

Hot Dog Month
Vehicle Theft Prevention Month (Perfect for security firms.)
Social Wellness Month (All about bettering your social relationships and community.)
Family Reunion Month
7th – Global Forgiveness Day
11th – World Population Day
11th – Cheer up the Lonely Day
15th – Ice Cream Day
3rd Monday – Get out of the Doghouse Day (Hello, florists? Jewelers?)
2nd week – Freedom Appreciation Week

August Holidays

1st Monday – Provincial holiday in Canada, excluding Quebec

Observances:

National Smile Month (Perfect for dentists, photographers, humorists…)
1st Week – World Breastfeeding Week
1st Week – Simplify Your Life Week (Professional organizers, what can you do with this?)
3rd – Watermelon Day
6th – Fresh Breath Day
8th – Happiness Happens Day
9th – International Day of the World’s Indigenous People
12th – International Youth Day
13th – International Left Handers Day
25th – Kiss and Make up Day

September Holidays

1st Sunday – Father’s Day (Australia, New Zealand)
1st Monday – Labor Day (United States, Canada)
11th – Patriot Day (United States)
Sunday after Labor Day – Grandparent’s Day (United States)
17th – Constitution Day (United States)

Observances:

National Arthritis Month
Ovarian Cancer Month
Self-Improvement Month (Wow. Who couldn’t use this?)
National Courtesy Month
13th – Positive Thinking Day (How about a blog post full of positive and inspiring quotations?)
19th – Talk Like a Pirate Day

Get creative…have fun with it. Think of how you can use these holidays for your social media updates, videos, blog posts, product promotions, email newsletters and more. At first glance you might not see how you could use Talk Like a Pirate Day in your business. And, if you are an investment consultant, you probably shouldn’t. But you don’t have to sell eye patches or parrots to have fun with Talk Like a Pirate Day. What if you gave a discount to anyone who came to your store on that day and asked for the discount by talking like a pirate? Or you had a buried treasure themed blog post or contest? What other fun connections can you make to pirates? (Let’s ignore the not-so-fun aspects of pirates, such as the thieving and killing, OK?)

Although some of these holidays and observances are serious and should be taken seriously, others are open to just about anything you want to do.

Oh, and if you don’t see the right holiday for your business, why not start your own holiday?